Desperate Measures
by Anorin Xikian
Summary: *Complete* AU story that takes place during the Season 4 Premire epsiode ("Charmed Again"), only with one important twist- Paige never shows up for Prue's funeral. What will Piper and Phoebe do to continue fighting, without the Power of Three?
1. Chapter 1

Desperate Measures  
  
Author's Notes: I don't own any of the characters except for the ones I made up. This story takes place right at the time of Season Four opener episode "Charmed Again", only with an important twist- Paige never shows up for Prue's funeral. Without the Power of Three, what measures will Piper and Phoebe be forced to do in order to continue to protect innocents and destroy the Source?  
  
  
  
Piper and Phoebe both watched on with teary eyes as Prue's coffin was lowered down into her grave. Leo held Piper, who put her head on his shoulder, while Phoebe just stood there. Phoebe then turned and walked back towards the car.  
  
"Phoebe!" Piper yelled. "Phoebe! Wait up!"  
  
Phoebe stopped walking, and turned around to face her sister.  
  
"What is it?" Phoebe asked her.  
  
"Aren't you going to come back here and say your final goodbyes to Prue?" Piper asked her.  
  
"I have better things to do." Phoebe said coldly. "The Source is still out there. He must be killed. Especially now that Prue is dead!"  
  
"Yes, but how do you expect to kill him without the Power of Three?" PIper asked her between sobs.  
  
"I have a way." a familair voice said from behind Phoebe. "It's not easy, but it may be the only way."  
  
Cole walked up from behind Phoebe, who immeaditley ran over and hugged him.  
  
  
  
"No way!" Leo shouted. "No way I'm letting you do that to them!"  
  
Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Cole were back in the Halliwell Manor, in the living room.  
  
"How else can they fight demons, kill the Source, and protect the innocent without the Power of Three?" Cole asked. "If they don't have the Power of Three as good witches, they'll be easy pickings for the Source!"  
  
"But turn them dark, turn them into warlocks!" Leo said questionably. "Don't you remember what happened the last time Piper and Phoebe were warlocks?"  
  
"Yes, I do." Cole admitted. "Piper and Phoebe still had enough control to fight evil, in that case the preistess, despite their intentions and other actions. Being warlocks again will give them enough power to fight the Source, and also a ruthless edge that will be needed in the coming fights."  
  
"Yes, but what if they kill an innocent in their ruthlessness?" Leo asked. "It wouldn't take much for them to lose control, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't be their Whitelighter anymore."  
  
"I was evil, too, once." Cole said. "I'll help them control it. It's the only way."  
  
"No, Cole, I agree with Leo." Piper said. "It's too big a risk to take, especially since you said that you're not sure if you can turn them back into good witches."  
  
"No, Piper, it's too big a risk not to take." Phoebe interjected. "Cole's right, if we don't do this, we're dead."  
  
Piper sighed. She knew Phoebe was right, but she couldn't think of giving up her life.  
  
"Evil can't love, right Cole?" Piper asked him.  
  
Cole nodded.  
  
"Lust, but not love." he replied.  
  
Piper looked towards Leo, her husband. If she did this, she would be incapable of loving her husband.  
  
Piper finally nodded.  
  
"It's neccesary." Piper said. "We have to do this, for the better of mankind. And, for Prue."  
  
Leo nodded.  
  
"I understand." he said with a sad smile. "I'll be waiting for you to return to me, Piper."  
  
As Piper moved towards him, Leo orbbed out.  
  
A brief moment of silence was interrupted by Cole.  
  
"Come on." Cole said. "I'll show you were to meet Torakin."  
  
  
  
Piper's car drove up to a run-down nightclub. The sign could no longer be made out, and trash was already collecting on the grass.  
  
"Looks like a place where a demon who turns witches would be." Piper said under her breath.  
  
She and Phoebe made their way down the walkway, and entered the club through the double doors. The club suddenly dissapered, the illusion ending for the two sisters. They were inside a dark cave, where Torakin was sitting on a seat on top of a large platform.  
  
"Welcome, witches." Torakin said.  
  
Suddenly, he realized who they were- the two remaining Charmed Ones!  
  
"Charmed Ones!" the demon exclaimed. "It is a great honor to be the one who will turn you! You two will make very powerful Warlocks!"  
  
"That's what we were hoping you'd say." Phoebe said in her best evil impression.  
  
"Well step foward girls, come up here." Torakin said. "Up the stairs and join me on the platform!"  
  
Piper and Phoebe silently made their way up the stairs and onto the huge platform. They stopped as they stood in front of Torakin. Torakin motioned for them to drop to their knees, which they did. Torkain raised his hands and placed one on each of the girls' foreheads.  
  
This is it. Piper thought. The final time I will think as a good human being for a long time. I'm going to miss it.  
  
Phoebe, however, had a bit of excitement. She still remembered all the power she had as a warlock last time, and she was confident that Cole could help her control all that power.  
  
"Shokan, miran, porakin, maxin!" Torakin said in a strange dialect.  
  
His hands glowed black, and the dark energy went into Piper and Phoebe's bodies. He held his hands there as dark energy continued to pour into the once-innocent girls. Finally, he stopped, as Piper and Phoebe, collapsed, stomach-first onto the platform, gasping for breath.  
  
Piper was the first to make it back to her feet. She glared at Torakin with darkness in her eyes.  
  
"How do you feel?" Torakin asked them.  
  
Piper's eyes glowed back again.  
  
"Just super." she said with a sly smile. "Unfortuantley, I don't think you'll be able to say the same."  
  
Piper waved one of her hands, freezing Torakin solid in a block of ice (Author's Note: From now on when I say Piper's freezed someone, I mean she froze him in ice like she did the last time she was a Warlock, not the good witch kind of freeze). piper then pushed the ice block off the platform, shattering Torakin's body into a million pieces as it hit the ground. Piper bit her bottom lip in dark desire.  
  
"Damn, I missed doing that." Piper said with an evil laugh.  
  
Phoebe rose to her feet as well, a similarly dark look in her eyes. She then raised both her hands up in the air, and Torakin's large chair went up in flames until it was nothing but ashes. Phoebe smiled as she kneeled down and blew the ashes off the platform.  
  
"Fire is so invigorating." Phoebe said. "I love watching things burn."  
  
"Come on." Piper said, regaining control. "Like Cole said, we have to resist the dark desires. Let's head back to the mannor."  
  
"Okay...." Phoebe said, a bit of dissapointment in her voice.  
  
The two sisters blinked out.  
  
  
  
"You're too late, Leo." Cole said, sitting in a chair in the Halliwell living room. "They've already gone to be turned."  
  
"Well then tell me where they've gone, because I'm going to stop them!" Leo said, determained. "I can't let Piper do this to herself. Become that dark creature, that evil shell of her former self."  
  
"Aww, thanks honey, I love you too!" Piper said with a laugh.  
  
Leo turned around to see Piper and Phoebe standing behind him, on the other side of the living room. There was no question as to whether they had been turned or not- the dark looks in their eyes gave it away.  
  
"How'd it go?" Cole asked them, surpressing how turned-on he got when Phoebe was evil.  
  
"Magnificantly." Phoebe said. "Piper froze that demon solid. He shattered into little itty-bitty pieces- it was so much fun to watch!"  
  
Leo looked at Piper. She hadn't taken her eyes off of her husband since she blinked in, and Leo knew it, feeling her piercing dark glare go through his heart.  
  
She's enjoying my pain. Leo realized. She's feeding off of it.  
  
Piper walked closer to Leo. Leo tried to back away from her, but he tripped over the coffee table, landing on the floor, and causing Piper to start laughing hysterically.  
  
"What a dumb-ass." Phoebe said, looking on.  
  
"Come on Leo, I'm not going to bite." Piper said with a laugh. "That is, unless you want me to."  
  
Leo picked himself up just as Piper leaped over the coffee table, landing on him as Leo landed on the couch. She layed on top of him, laughing, as her face was inches away from Leo's. She put her face even closer, as if she was going to say something intimate.  
  
"Leo..." she said in a semi-sweet voice.  
  
"What, Piper?" Leo replied.  
  
"Can we go have sex now?"  
  
Leo sighed as he pushed Piper off of him and to the floor.  
  
"Hey!" Piper said angrily as she stood back up.  
  
She waved her hand and froze Leo solid as he sat up. She raised her fist to shatter his head.  
  
"No, Piper." Phoebe said. "We need someone on the good side to help us now that we're evil. We need someone who can think like a goody-two-shoes."  
  
"Well, what about Cole?" Piper whined.  
  
Phoebe laughed.  
  
"He may not be a demon anymore, bu tlet me tell you something, he sure ain't an angel either."  
  
"Phoebe!" Cole yelled.  
  
Phoebe shot him a mischievious grin.  
  
"Alright, alright." Piper said. "I'll unfreeze the stupid bastard, but he'd better have sex with me this time!"  
  
Piper waved her right hand, unfreezing Leo. Leo shivered, then sneezed. Piper laughed.  
  
"Aww does Leo-weo have a closey-woldsey?" Piper said in her best baby voice.  
  
Leo shot her an annoyed look, as again Piper laughed.  
  
  
  
About an hour later, Leo was seated on the Halliwells' couch, wrapped in a blue blanket. Piper sat on a new chair, eyeing him as he took a sip of some hot cocoa.  
  
"Where's Phoebe and Cole?" Leo asked.  
  
"Off having sex, probably." Piper said. "It's easy to see that Phoebe being evil turns Cole on."  
  
"I'm sorry I asked." Leo said, and Piper laughed.  
  
Then, quite suddenly, she got serious.  
  
"Leo." Piper said, without the evilness to her voice that she has had all night.  
  
"What, Piper?" Leo asked her.  
  
"I'm still in here." Piper said. "The real me is still here, and I'm mostly still in-control. The wisecracks, and lust I can't help, but I'm not going to let myself lose control. And I need you to still love me, because your love helps me stay in control."  
  
Leo walked over to Piper and kissed her.  
  
"I'll always love you." Leo said, before kissing her again.  
  
Hah, that sappy speech worked! Piper thought. Leo is SUCH an idiot, but at least now I know how to get what I want out of him!  
  
  
  
A few hours later, the door to Piper's bedroom opened. Piper sat up, wearing nothing but all of her body besides her head and neck under the covers of her bed. Leo also sat up, also wearing nothing but covered up to his neck with the covers as well.  
  
"Can't you see we're busy in here?" Piper said angrily.  
  
"Phoebe's had a preminition." Cole said from the doorway. "An innocent we have to protect."  
  
"C'mon, Leo, let's ignore him and get back to......"  
  
"No, Piper." Leo said. "Cole's right, we have to go save the innocent."  
  
Piper glared at Cole angrily. She made a dark ball of enegry in her hands but Cole closed the double-doors to her bedroom as she threw it, and the energy, weak, dissintigrated on the doorway. Piper growled in anger.  
  
  
  
Thirty minutes later, Piper and Leo entered the kitchen, fully clothed, where Phoebe was making some coffee and Cole was sitting at the table, reading some sort of newspaper.  
  
"Morning." Leo told them.  
  
Cole and Phoebe ignored him as he took a seat at the table. Piper stood, leaning against the wall.  
  
"So, you going to tell us what your preimintion was about, or let us guess?" Piper said.  
  
Phoebe glared at Piper.  
  
"I've been getting a lot of those lately." Piper said with a laugh.  
  
"It was some little kid, six or seven, I guess." Phoebe said. "The kid was home alone, and then two people, who the kid called Mommy and Daddy, entered the house. They transformed into some kind of demons and killed him."  
  
"TAlk about your punishments." Piper said.  
  
Then Piper had an evil grin.  
  
"Wish I could see what your face would have looked like if Grams turned into a demon to punish you." Piper said. "That would have been a kicker during your wild years, talk about scared straight!"  
  
Phoebe shot Piper another glare.  
  
"There it is again!" Piper laughed.  
  
"Can we PLEASE stop joking about the kid's death and find a way to, I don't know, maybe STOP IT!" Leo yelled.  
  
"Okay, okay, geez." Piper said. "Ruin my fun, why don't you."  
  
She turned to Cole.  
  
"Know any demons who fit that profile?" she asked him.  
  
"Yeah." Cole replied. "Dargos. He feeds the Source the most powerful normal mortal souls- the souls of a pure, innocent young child. He does this by placing a demonic seed in the parents, which turns them into semi-demons of sorts, whose only goal is to kill their child. Once the child is dead, they die as well, and it looks like a family suicide. No investigations, no mess."  
  
"Effective." Piper said.  
  
Phoebe raised her hand.  
  
"Yes, Phoebe?" Cole asked.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Cole, but do you think we'll have to baby-sit the little kid?" Piper asked him half-mockingly.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I can't stand fucking children." Piper said.  
  
"Piper that's ridicolous." Leo said. "Just the other day, you and I were talking about when we were going to have a baby."  
  
Piper rolled her eyes.  
  
"Okay, okay, we need to calm down and get organized." Cole said.  
  
As Cole started to explain a plan, Leo began thinking to himself about whether or not they could pull it off.  
  
I just hope Piper or Phoebe doesn't kill the kid. Leo thought.  
  
To Be Continued.... 


	2. Chapter 2

Desperate Measures Chapter II  
  
The young child from Phoebe's preminition was seated in his living room, playing with some Legos, wondering where his parents were, but not really caring at the moment.  
  
Piper and Phoebe, meanwhile, blinked into the kitchen, with Leo orbbing in, bringing Cole with him.  
  
"So, the plan is that we baby-sit the brat until the homicidal parents show up, right?" Phoebe asked them.  
  
"Yeah." Cole said. "The two of you then kill the parents. Killing them will remove the demonic seed, and Leo can heal them back to life before their spirits rise up. The demon will then show itself, and you two should make short work of it."  
  
"Sounds good to me." Piper said. "I want to be the one to kill the parents, though."  
  
"No, I want to be the one to kill the parents!" Phoebe yelled.  
  
"Look, we'll take one each, okay?" Piper offered.  
  
"Alright, alright...." Phoebe said, a bit dissapoitned.  
  
Cole suddenly realized the risk here.  
  
They're killing, in their minds, at least part-humans. Cole thought. They're fighting over who gets the kill because they want to experience what it feels like to kill a human. I have to make sure to keep them under control, they could easily go out of control from the feeling from killing a human, even a non-innocent, part-demon one.  
  
Cole silently began to remember back to his first kill, only to be interrupted by Phoebe.  
  
"Cole?" Phoebe said.  
  
I wonder what's wrong with him. Phoebe thought. I hope he doesn't go all Leo on me. So far my being dark has brought us closer together....I don't want that to change.  
  
"Sorry." Cole said. "Got lost in thought, that's all."  
  
"Most likely lusting after Phoebe again." Piper muttered.  
  
Piper then turned to Leo.  
  
"Can you talk to the kid?" Piper asked him. "I don't feel like being nice right now, or having to give a pretend goody-two-shoes voice. You, on the other hand, don't have to pretend."  
  
"Can't you just think back to when you were still good, and just bring that part of you to the surface?" Leo asked her.  
  
"She doesn't want to, Leo." Phoebe snapped. "Neither do I. Being good just brings doubts and fears into our mind. As darkness, we are truely free."  
  
Piper nodded, as Cole looked on with a strange smile.  
  
She understands what it means to be dark. Cole thought. And she's enjoying it. Right now, I almost wish I could join her, even though there is a part of me that will always be dark as well.  
  
Cole could not resist his own urges as he turned Phoebe around and kissed her deeply. Piper rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall, while Leo snorted, trying to get their attention. They ignored him. Finally, he took a more direct approach.  
  
"You two can lust after each other when we're done saving that kid." Leo snapped. "Now come on! I'll talk to the kid, whatever you want, let's just get in there."  
  
I should have just let Piper shatter his fucking head. Phoebe thought.  
  
She broke her embrace with Cole, and walked into the living room, her eyes cold. Piper, Cole, and Leo followed, startling the boy.  
  
"Wh-Who are you?" the boy asked as he jumped back.  
  
Leo crouched down and smiled for the boy, trying to get some positive energy in the room to counter the sulking Phoebe and Cole and the just plain bitchy Piper.  
  
"We're here to help you." Leo said with a smile. "I can't explain it, but something bad has happened to your mommy and daddy, and we need to stay here with you so we can save them."  
  
"You're super-heroes!" the boy said excitedly.  
  
"More like super-villians." Piper snorted.  
  
Leo shot Piper an angry glare, before turning back to the boy.  
  
"Yes, I guess you could call us super-heroes." Leo replied.  
  
"You look like a super-hero, but, they don't." the boy said, pointing at Piper, Phoebe, and Cole. "I think the lady was right, they're super- villans. So if you're a super-hero, why are you teaming with super- villans?"  
  
Leo sighed.  
  
"It's.....complicated." Leo said. "We're here to protect you. That's all you need to know."  
  
The boy nodded, satisfied as he went back to his legos. A few moments later, however, he was no longer satisfied. He held his stomach.  
  
"Hungry." the boy said. "My parents never made me lunch."  
  
"I'll go get you something." Leo said, leaving for the kitchen.  
  
"We'll go...ummm...come too." Phoebe said, grabbing Cole by the arm and dragging him into the kitchen.  
  
"Perfect excuse to go suck face again, sis." Piper said with a laugh.  
  
Phoebe ignored her sister as she entered the kitchen with Cole, and the two began kissing again, as Phoebe held Cole against the wall. Leo sighed as he put a Pizza-For-One into the microwave and began pressing the buttons.  
  
"Cole......I....really......do.....understand." Phoebe said between their passionate kisses. "I understand.....why you.....were happy......this way."  
  
Cole didn't respond as the two continued to kiss.  
  
She doesn't understand the other side of this, does she? Cole wondered. The poor girl still has a deeply-buried heart, just as I did. If she ever kills innocents someday, the pain that heart will feel when it realizes it no longer cares about human life, will be unbearable. Someday, no amount of dark pleasure will be able to mask that.  
  
  
  
Back in the living room, Piper was still leaning against the wall, staring at the kid as he played with his legos.  
  
So innocent. Piper thought. Innocence is like a disease....it keeps you from the greatest pleasures of life.  
  
Piper finally decided she was bored enough to talk to the kid.  
  
"What's your name, kid?" Piper asked him.  
  
The child looked up.  
  
"It's Adam." he answered.  
  
"And how old are you?"  
  
"Seven."  
  
Piper nodded before stretching out her neck.  
  
"Can I ask you questions too?" he said.  
  
"I guess." Piper replied as she continued to stretch her neck, not really caring.  
  
"Why don't you smile?"  
  
Piper laughed.  
  
"I just did, didn't I?"  
  
"That's not a real smile." Adam replied. "I mean a happy smile."  
  
Piper sat down in front of the kid, any sheds of the laughter erasing from her face.  
  
"Let me tell you something, Adam." Piper said. "There's no such thing as 'happy'. One moment you think you're a good person, and then you lose someone close to you. You realize that being a good person means nothing in the grand scheme of things, because the good guys really do finish last. Being bad is not only more fun.....but it's a hell of a lot easier, and a whole lot more rewarding."  
  
Adam didn't take all of this in, but he seemed to understand some of it.  
  
"You need to smile more." Adam said. "Smiling always helps me when I feel sad, but being bad doesn't help. Being bad is wrong."  
  
Piper smirked as she stood back up.  
  
"Sometimes being wrong is the right thing to do, Adam." Piper said.  
  
She sat down on the couch, and closed her eyes, thinking back to Prue's death.  
  
Being good got me nowhere then. Piper thought. Now that I'm bad, I have all the power I need to prevent that from happening again. I'll never be weak again. Never.  
  
At that moment, Leo walked into the room with the microwaved pizza, cut into eight small pieces and on a plate. Piper opened her eyes as Leo gave the pizza to the child.  
  
"Thank you." Adam said.  
  
"Your welcome." Leo replied. "Piper didn't say anything too bad to you, did she?"  
  
"Nah." Adam replied as he began to scarf down his pizza.  
  
Leo turned to Piper, who now had her eyes open, eyeing her husband, who sat down on the couch next to her.  
  
"Nice homemaking skills." Piper said. "Would have made a great father....."  
  
"I will be when you're good again." Leo replied.  
  
"Who said I wanted to go good again?" Piper said.  
  
Leo sighed.  
  
I knew the evil was going to completley take her over, didn't I? Leo thought to himself. Or maybe I had just been denying it all this time.  
  
  
  
Back in the kitchen, Phoebe and Cole had stopped their kissing, or "sucking face" as Piper had so-elegantly put it, long enough to sit at the kitchen table and have some coffee.  
  
"Think the family's going to mind we stole some of their coffee?" Cole asked her.  
  
"I think they'll be too busy trying to kill their kid to notice." Phoebe replied, as Cole laughed.  
  
The bond between the two of us is keeping her love for me alive. Cole thought. The fact that we share the darkness has allowed Phoebe to continue to access her buried heart, and bring it above the darkness. The connection between evil Piper and Leo is not strong enough for her to be able to do the same, which is why she's been a lot bitchier than Phoebe.  
  
Phoebe leaned over and kissed Cole again.  
  
"I wish the fucking parents would show up already." Phoebe said, breaking the kiss. "I want to get home and...well, you know."  
  
"Is that all you think about?" Cole said with a laugh.  
  
"Look me in the eyes and tell me that's not what you're thinking about right now." Phoebe said.  
  
"That's not what I'm thinking about right now." Cole said, looking Phoebe right in the eyes.  
  
"Yup, you do have some evil left in you if you're able to lie to my face that good." Phoebe said, and the two broke out laughing.  
  
To Be Continued..... 


	3. Chapter 3

Desperate Measures: Chapter III  
  
Back in the living room, a very bored Piper began flicking through TV channels, trying to find something good to watch, while Leo was seated next to the kid and now playing a board game with him.  
  
"Piper, why don't you play this game with us if you're bored?" Leo asked her.  
  
Piper glared at Leo, then went back to flicking channels. Leo sighed, just as Phoebe and Cole re-entered the living room, both with their brooding faces on.  
  
Can't anyone be positive around here? Leo thought.  
  
He went back to his game as Cole sat down on the large chair of the living room and Phoebe sat down on his lap. The two began kissing.  
  
Adam looked up at them.  
  
"Ewww!" Adam yelled.  
  
Leo turned around and saw what he was yelling about.  
  
"Do you two have to do that in front of Adam?" Leo asked them.  
  
Phoebe and Cole ignored them.  
  
That's it. Leo thought.  
  
He stood up, and walked over to them. He tapped Phoebe on the shoulder.  
  
"Can you two stop acting like high schoolers, please?" Leo asked them.  
  
Again, they ignored him.  
  
"STOP!" Leo yelled.  
  
Phoebe suddenly raised one hand, while still in the embrace with Leo, and Leo was sent flying backwards into the wall, knocked unconcious.  
  
Shouldn't I scold her, or something? Cole thought.  
  
Cole couldn't make himself break the embrace.  
  
"Oh come on Phoebe!" Piper yelled. "I can't shatter his head, but you can use Prue's old power on him? Bah!"  
  
Phoebe and Cole ignored her, so Piper went back to flicking channels. Adam, however was freaked out. He ran over to Leo, trying to revive his new friend.  
  
"Leo!" Adam yelled. "Leo, please wake up!"  
  
Leo, slumped against the wall, was unconcious, so obviously he couldn't hear Adam's pleas. Adam stood up, and faced Phoebe, Cole, and Piper.  
  
"Why are you people so mean?" Adam said, tears starting to come down his little cheeks.  
  
Piper didn't seem to care that the kid was crying, as she continued to flick through channels. Phoebe, however, noticed.  
  
"Go console the kid." Phoebe told Cole, breaking the embrace.  
  
"Well, shouldn't you?" Cole said. "I mean, you're the one who knocked Leo out...."  
  
"Cole!" Phoebe said. "You're good. I'm not. I'd just say something mean, like Adam said. Go talk to him."  
  
Cole sighed. Child skills weren't exactly his greatest asset, and it was understanable considering how long he was Belthazor. Demons don't have to raise kids. Cole walked over to Adam, and put his hand on his shoulder as he cried over Leo.  
  
"It'll be alright, Adam." Cole said in the nicest voice he had. "Phoebe just lost her temper, that's all. Leo's just sleeping."  
  
Cole gently wiped away one of Adam's tears and gave him a genuine smile.  
  
"I have to go to the bathroom." Phoebe said. "Seeing this side of Cole has me about ready to puke."  
  
Piper laughed as Phoebe left the living room. Cole stood up and helped the boy up as well.  
  
"Piper, can you give me a hand in moving Leo onto the couch?" Cole asked her.  
  
Piper yawned as she nonchalantly waved her right hand, levitating Leo in the air and then hovering him over the couch. She moved her hand down in a quick motion and Leo crashed awkardly onto the couch as Piper laughed.  
  
"You could have been a bit more gentle with that landing." Cole said.  
  
"Yes, I could have." Piper laughed.  
  
"Glad she's not my wife." Cole muttered as he walked out of the living room.  
  
Leo, meanwhile, finally seemed to wake up.  
  
"Where's Phoebe and Cole?" were the first words out of his mouth, after surveying the living room.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's what you immeaditley notice." Piper said. "Not the fact that I'm here, considering I'm your wife you could at least tell me you love me or some other sappy shit."  
  
"What's the point? You'd just make fun of me anyway."  
  
"Good point." Piper said with a laugh, as she leaned back into the chair. "Well, Cole was consoling little Adam, who was upset because Phoebe knocked you, the only goody-goody left, out, and Phoebe got sick from seeing his good side. Cole's now off trying to convince her he's still bad, so tonight she'll suck his...."  
  
"Okay, Piper, we have a child in the room." Leo interrupted her.  
  
"Yes, I know." Piper said. "Corrupting a young mind is fun! See, you always ruin my fun."  
  
Leo sighed as again, Piper laughed.  
  
He's so easy to torture. Piper thought. His emotions are almost childlike in their innocence. He still beleives that there's good in me, that my heart is not cold. My heart is cold, I haven't had any use for love since Prue died. Phoebe's heart would be cold as well if it was not for Cole. He may have to be dealt with eventually.....  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Cole walked into the dining room, where Phoebe sat with her head down in her hands.  
  
"Phoebe?" Cole asked her.  
  
Phoebe raised her head, a confused and somewhat sad look on her face.  
  
"Cole..." Phoebe said.  
  
Cole sat down next to her, moving one of the dining room chairs next to Phoebe's.  
  
"Phoebe, what's wrong?"  
  
"Cole....I just, don't want to talk about it."  
  
Cole sighed.  
  
"Please, Phoebe, talk to me." Cole said. "Remember, I was there once. I can help you through it."  
  
"Seeing you consoling that young kid....it reached my heart." Phoebe admitted. "The heart I still only have open because of your love for me. I see what Piper's like now, her heart has gone completley cold, and I don't want to be like that, Cole. But I saw you consoling that young kid, and my heart....the real me, it made me realize that I'll never be able to do something like that again. I may still have my heart, but I'm still very much evil. I give off the dark vibe, that child realized it right away when he called me a super-villan. I'll never be able to console a child, or do anything like that again. What good is it to save an innocent who can't stand to be around me, who's disgusted by me? I'm stuck between good and evil, Cole, and evil is winning. I just can't take it anymore...."  
  
Phoebe trailed off, and Cole gently moved her head and held it onto his shoulder.  
  
"You're in the exact same predicment I was, Phoebe." Cole said. "You have to fight the evil and let the good in....."  
  
"I can't!" Phoebe screamed, raising from her chair. "I just can't do it anymore!"  
  
"Phoebe...." Cole began, but he was cut off by a yell from Piper.  
  
"The parents are home!" Piper yelled excitedly.  
  
Something just seemed to go off in Phoebe. The sadness erased from her eyes and was replaced by a black coldness.  
  
"Killing time." Phoebe said with an evil smile.  
  
  
  
"Adam!" came a male yell.  
  
"Daddy!" Adam yelled in response.  
  
"Leo, you might want to get the fucking kid out of here, dumb-ass!" Piper snapped.  
  
Leo ignored Piper's insults and grabbed Adam.  
  
"No, Daddy!" Adam yelled, but he was carried out of the living room by Leo, just as Phoebe ran past him, followed by Cole.  
  
Piper and Phoebe waited as the two parents entered the living room. Both of them looked completley normal, except half their faces were now rotting flesh.  
  
"Gross!" Phoebe exclaimed.  
  
"Adam!" the mother yelled.  
  
"Ready?" Phoebe asked her sister.  
  
"Duh." Phoebe replied.  
  
Both sisters simply raised their hands. The mother's dress began to catch fire, and the fire slowly spread to the rest of her body. She collapsed, trying to roll around on the floor to stop the burning, but it slowly burned through her clothes, then her flesh, then her bone, leaving her nothing more than ash. Phoebe layed down in front of the ash and cupped her hand below her mouth. She blew the ashes up into the air.  
  
Meanwhile, the father was now frozen solid. Piper walked up to him, and raised her fist. With an evil grin, she slammed her fist into the frozen head, shattering it.  
  
"That was SO cool!" Piper exclaimed.  
  
"I'm with you, Piper." Phoebe said. "That was a serious rush."  
  
The ashes in the air began to glow white as they fell back to the ground again. After hitting the ground, the ashes quickly reformed into the mother's body, without the rotting flesh on one side of her face. She layed down on the ground, unconcious but breathing.  
  
The father, meanwhile, quickly dethawed, and the frozen head un-shattered and came back onto his body in time to defrost as well. He collapsed to the floor, unconcious but still breathing, as well.  
  
"Can we kill them again?" Piper asked her sister.  
  
Phoebe smiled evilly.  
  
"Well, if you insist."  
  
"Phoebe, Piper, no!" Cole exclaimed, finally breaking his silence.  
  
"Awwww." Phoebe said dissapointingly.  
  
She turned away, and embraced her- well, whatever Cole was now. The two kissed. Piper, however, did not turn away from the father. She got down onto her knees, and leaned her faces inches away from the unconcious face of the father, as Phoebe and Cole broke their embrace to look on.  
  
"You got lucky." Piper whispered into his ear. "You're lucky I'm letting you live. How does it feel to know that I am supreme, that I have more power in my pinky finger than you have in your entire puny, pathetic body. You're a damn lucky man to still be alive, and to still have your family."  
  
Piper stood up, and turned back to Phoebe and Cole.  
  
"So when the fuck is that demon going to show up?" Piper asked them. "Dargos was its name, right?"  
  
"Yeah." Cole replied. "And, I guess he didn't feel like taking on two of the most powerful warlocks out there."  
  
Piper smiled evilly.  
  
It's good to be feared. Piper thought. Very, very good.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Dargos stood before The Source and the Seer in the Underworld.  
  
"Why are you here, Dargos?" The Source asked him. "You were not summoned."  
  
"Yes, but I expected to be." Dargos replied.  
  
"And why is that, exactly?" The Source asked him.  
  
"Because you are going to kill me for not forfilling my duties by confronting the ones who stopped me from collecting the child's soul for you." Dargos answered. "Just please understand that I had no chance against them!"  
  
"I've read the prophecies." The Source stated. "As I assume you have."  
  
"Yes." Dargos said. "When any of the Charmed Ones completley embrace darkness, they are invinciable."  
  
"But only one of them has completley embraced it." the Seer said.  
  
"I wouldn't have been able to get to her, anyway." Dargos replied.  
  
"Enough!" The Source yelled. "I don't want Piper and Phoebe dead, anyway, you baffoon! We're on the same side!"  
  
"Huh?" Dargos said, questioning him. "They're still fighting on the side of good. They saved that boy from me."  
  
"Yes." The Source said. "But they will not be able to for long. Piper has already completley embraced darkness- the only reason she has not joined me is her hatred for me over ordering Prue's death. And Phoebe's complete embrace of darkness is only blocked by Cole."  
  
"Belthazor, always getting in the way." the Seer said.  
  
"You are dismissed, Dargos." The Source said.  
  
Dargos bowed his head and shimmered out.  
  
The Seer then turned to The Source.  
  
"What do we do about Cole." she asked him.  
  
"We kill him." he replied.  
  
"But wouldn't that make both of the sisters hate you, even if they were completley dark?" she asked.  
  
"Yes." The Source replied. "But hatred is easier to deal with than goodness. I can twist their hatred towards me to my liking."  
  
The Seer nodded in agreement.  
  
"The prophecies will be forfilled." The Source said. "Piper and Phoebe will become the strongest warlocks of all time, invinciable knights that will lead darkness in completley taking over the planet. Good will be no more."  
  
The Seer again nodded in agreement.  
  
To Be Continued.... 


	4. Chapter 4

Desperate Measures Chapter IV  
  
Leo orbbed into a large, empty white nothingness. But yet, even though there was no ground, he could still stand up. Standing before him was a man in a white robe, and you could not see his face either, since the robe had a hood that covered over it.  
  
"Leo, do you know why you were called here?" the white-robbed man asked him.  
  
"Yes." Leo said. "It was because I allowed my charges to turn dark."  
  
"Don't even bother trying to explain yourself. We know why you did what you did, and now we have more important problems."  
  
"What would that be?" Leo asked him.  
  
"There is an ancient prophecy only the highest-uppers in the Underworld know of, that being The Source, the Seer, and the demons who collect souls for him. This prophecy, which we have recently came in possesion with, could spell the end of all that is good."  
  
"What is that prophecy?" Leo asked him, now a bit nervous.  
  
"Once one of the Charmed Ones fully and completley embraces darkness, she is invinciable. Eternal and completley unkillable. And the prophecy also states that any Dark Charmed Ones will end up leading darkness to completley taking over the world, eliminating all of good."  
  
Leo gulped and remained silent, stunned.  
  
"Phoebe has not yet completley embraced darkness because of her relationship with Cole. Piper, however, has. You can bring her back if you can find a way to rekindle your relationship with her.....and to do that, you may have to embrace your own dark side, Leo. Since this is more important than anything else right now, you are stripped of your duties as a Whitelighter. Go save Piper, before it is too late. And whatever you do, don't tell Piper she is invinciable."  
  
Leo nodded, and for the last time, orbbed out as his powers were stripped from him.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Phoebe and Cole were working up quite a sweat sparring in the basement. Phoebe kicked each of the pads on Cole's two hands, then turned around and Roundhouse kicked him in his chest, knocking him back.  
  
"Not bad." Cole said as he stood up.  
  
Phoebe smiled and kissed him.  
  
"You're definitley ready to take out The Source." Cole said. "Now all we need to do is locate an entrance to the Underworld."  
  
Phoebe nodded.  
  
"Once The Source is killed, what happens?" Phoebe asked him.  
  
"Evil will go into a state of chaos." Cole said. "Until a new leader steps up, most of them will be too confused to do anything."  
  
Phoebe nodded again.  
  
A strong leader will be needed when The Source dies. Phoebe thought. Perhaps we are the leaders that evil will need.....  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Piper was seated in front of a mirror in her bedroom, adjusting a piece of jewlery- a red crystal at the end of a metallic chain. She was now sporting a much more darker look, with an elegant black dress that she looked ravishing in. She heard the familar sound of an orbbing in behind her.  
  
"You think you could knock?" Piper said, not even turning around.  
  
"Isn't this supposed to be my room too?" Leo asked her.  
  
"Well, in case you haven't noticed, we're not exactly the happy couple anymore, Leo." Piper stated. "I'm a Warlock and you're a White...."  
  
"Not anymore." Leo said, cutting her off.  
  
Now Piper turned around.  
  
"That was the last time I will ever be able to orb anywhere." Leo stated. "I'm no longer a Whitelighter."  
  
Piper stared at him, not sure how to react.  
  
"I gave it up because I love you, and I want us to be together, no matter what the cost." Leo said. "I don't care which Piper you claim to be, I know that deep down you're still the same person. Evil, good, it doesn't matter to me, I just want to be with you."  
  
Piper turned back to her mirror.  
  
"Evil can't love." she stated simply.  
  
"Phoebe does." Leo replied.  
  
"That's because she hasn't fully accepted evil yet." Piper said. "I have."  
  
"I know you're strong enough to open your heart again, Piper." Leo said.  
  
Piper turned back to look at him again.  
  
"No. I'm not." Piper said.  
  
She turned back to her mirror again as Leo sighed.  
  
"Just leave me alone." Piper said. "Go away before you get hurt."  
  
What is this feeling? Piper thought to herself. I don't want Leo to stay around me, because I don't want him to get hurt. So that means, I am feeling compassion for him. Even though I have fully embraced evil....maybe he can bring me back. But do I want to be brought back?  
  
"Piper, I'm not going to give up." Leo said. "I love you, and I'm not going to let it end like this."  
  
Leo exited Piper's room, and walked down the hallway.  
  
My dear Piper.... Leo thought. You can't make me go away. I love you, and I always will.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, a female Warlock stood before The Source and the Seer in the Underworld. She was an average-sized Caucausin, with short blonde hair and dressed in all red. She held a long sword with a red-colored edge.  
  
"I understand you have summoned me here to kill the remaining Charmed Ones." the Warlock said. "But I understand that they too are now Warlocks, correct?"  
  
"Yes." The Source replied. "So you need to keep your guard up. And to correct you, I only want you to kill one Charmed One. The older one, Piper. If you kill the younger one, Phoebe, I will personally torture you to a slow death. But before you even go after Piper, you must kill the man formerly the demon Belthazor, Cole. Do you have all that Leandra?"  
  
"Understood." Leandra said, and she blinked out.  
  
"What a perfect plan." the Seer told The Source. "Kill two birds with one stone. Send Leandra to the Dark Charmed Ones. Have her kill Cole, sending the younger one, Phoebe, into complete darkness. And have her attempt to kill Piper to show her that she is inviciable."  
  
The Source nodded.  
  
"Once Piper realizes this, her own lust for power will kick in, and the Prophecies will begin to be forfilled." The Source said.  
  
The Seer nodded in agreement.  
  
  
  
Leo exited through the front door of the Halliwell Manor just as Phoebe and Cole came in from the kitchen.  
  
"Wonder who that was." Phoebe said outloud.  
  
She shrugged as she took a quick glass of water, and looked down at her sweat-moistioned sports bra.  
  
"I'm going to take a shower." Phoebe told Cole. "Then, I want to go out tonight."  
  
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Phoebe." Cole replied.  
  
"What, am I supposed to stay in this house my whole fucking life?" Phoebe asked him angrily. "We're going out tonight."  
  
Cole sighed.  
  
"Alright, I guess." Cole said.  
  
"You can use my shower after I'm done, I don't think the current Piper would be above a peep show." Phoebe said.  
  
Cole rolled his eyes as Phoebe went up the stairs.  
  
"Paranoia always was one of evil's least redeeming qualities." Cole said to himself as he entered the Halliwell living room.  
  
He sat down on the couch and began flicking through channels on TV, trying to find something worth watching while waiting his turn for the shower. Behind him, Leandra blinked in.  
  
"Belthazor." Leandra snarled.  
  
Cole turned around to see Leandra standing there, sword drawn.  
  
"You'd think The Source would be happy I got them to turn dark, even though they are going to kill him." Cole said.  
  
"Oh, he's very happy." Leandra said.  
  
"Well, that wasn't exactly my goal." Cole said. "So then, why are you here? To thank me?"  
  
"No, to kill you." Leandra replied.  
  
"Figures." Cole said with a roll of his eyes. "You know I'm just a human now, right?"  
  
"Duh." Leandra said. "In another words, I'd consider you dead right now."  
  
Suddenly, two Warlocks, one male and one female, blinked in behind Cole. The male was a tall African-American wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, while the female was a Caucasin dressed in a black top and red leather pants.  
  
"Who are you?" Leandra asked them.  
  
"Your worst fucking nightmare." the male said.  
  
"Axen, what did I tell you about the damned cliches?" the female said angrily.  
  
"Geez, alright Zira, I'll stop." Axen replied.  
  
Zira raised her right hand in the air and sent Leandra flying backwards. Axen suddenly took the shape of Cole, then charged her. The real Cole knew that this was his chance as the two traded punches, and jumped Leandra, punching her in the back of the head.  
  
"I hate shape-shifters!" Leandra said angrily. "I can still get the girl, though!"  
  
Leandra ran up the stairs, raising one arm along the way which place a large brick wall from the entrance of the stairs to the roof.  
  
Axen went back to his normal form.  
  
"Zira, get rid of this wall." Axen told her.  
  
"Yeah, hurry up, she's going to kill Piper and Phoebe!" Cole yelled.  
  
Zira ran to the wall, and waved her hands in the air. It did nothing.  
  
"Her magic is more powerful than mine." Zira said. "I can't reverse it."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Leandra ran past Phoebe's room and right into Piper's. Piper turned to see her enter, and stood up.  
  
"About time The Source sent some foot-soldier after me." Piper said. "I was going way too long without a good killing."  
  
"Kill this, you stuck-up bitch!" Leandra yelled as she ran at Piper.  
  
Piper had no time to react, all she could do was watch as Leandra jammed the blade of the sword through her gut. Piper screamed in pain as Leandra pulled the sword out.  
  
Phoebe, just out of the shower, heard this and ran into Piper's bedroom, wrapped in a pink towel. She was just in time to see Piper holding her wound, but suddenly as she moved her hands away, the blood stopped and the wound slowly began to close itself!  
  
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked her. "Piper, how are you doing that?"  
  
"I don't know!" Piper yelled at her. "It's doing it itself!"  
  
Leandra looked on in shock as the wound closed itself. Piper smiled at her, then waved one hand as Leandra was frozen solid.  
  
"Nice try." Piper said as she shattered her head with a single punch. The rest of Leandra's body dissapered.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, downstairs the brick wall dissapered as well.  
  
"That means they vanquished her." Zira said. "Come on!"  
  
Zira, Axen, and Cole ran up the stairs, and into Piper's room as a stunned Piper and Phoebe sat on the edge of Piper's bed.  
  
"What's going on?" Cole asked them.  
  
"Who are those two?" Piper asked him.  
  
Cole looked back at Axen and Zira.  
  
"I have no idea, only that they saved me from Leandra before she ran up here." Cole said. "Guess you two took care of her."  
  
"Yeah." Phoebe said. "Leandra stabbed Piper, right through the gut.....and the wound closed itself."  
  
A smile was evident on Piper's face, as she held the spot on her stomach where the wound once was.  
  
"This is so cool!" Piper exclaimed.  
  
  
  
"It is unfortunate that Cole was saved by those two Andricans." the Seer stated. "But, at least Piper has now discovered that she is indeed invinciable."  
  
"Yes." The Source stated. "Phase One is now complete. Phase Two shall begin soon...."  
  
To Be Continued..... 


	5. Chapter 5

Desperate Measures Chapter V  
  
Piper, Phoebe, Cole, Zira, and Axen were all seated in the living room just fifteen minutes after Piper had vanquished Leandra.  
  
"So, now the two of you are going to explain just who you are, before we vanquish your sorry asses next." Piper said with a sly smile.  
  
Zira and Axen nodded.  
  
"We're Warlocks known as Andricans." Axen said. "The name comes because we follow the lead of a powerful Warlock named Andrica."  
  
"She is our superior." Zira said. "She is leading a revolt against The Source."  
  
"But why?" Phoebe wondered. "Isn't all evil loyal to The Source?"  
  
"Hardly." Cole chimed in. "Only the stupid ones are blindly loyal. The rest are always plotting a way to take power for themselves."  
  
"Power is the root of evil." Piper said, agreeing. "I'm proof of that."  
  
"Andrica and her followers, who like I said are known as Andricans, beleive that The Source puts too much faith in Demons." Zira said. "We are all Warlocks who beleive that we should be the ones running the show, so to speak, rather than the often-incompetent demons."  
  
Cole made a snorting sound.  
  
"Yes, we know you used to be the demon Belthazor, and we apologize but that's what we beleive." Axen stated.  
  
"It's alright." Cole said. "I'm not Belthazor anymore, so it's fine."  
  
Fucking ungrateful bastards. Cole thought.  
  
"Anyway.....Andrica realized that we have a common enemy, and sent us to come recruit you two newly-turned Warlocks to our group." Zira said. "So, what do you say, are you willing to join our side?"  
  
"The only side we are on is our own." Piper said. "I have no plan in serving some evil Warlock. My only goal is to kill The Source."  
  
"And what do you expect to do afterwards?" Axen said. "You saw what you did back there. You healed yourself, instantly, without even knowing it. You two may well be the strongest Warlocks of all time, so what do you expect to do once you vanquish The Source? Go back to your normal lives? Not a chance. As you said, Piper, power is the root of evil. You can't let all that power go to waste."  
  
Piper stood up quite suddenly.  
  
"I don't plan on having it go to waste, and that's why I'm not joining your shitty little team." she said angrily. "Now, I'd thank you for saving Cole if I gave a shit, but I don't, so take your asses back to Andrica and tell her you failed, because I'm not joining, and neither is Phoebe."  
  
Piper blinked out.  
  
"I guess you'd better go." Phoebe said. "I do appreciate you saving Cole, and I thank you, but it's too premature for the two of us to take sides."  
  
"It's alright." Zira said. "Just please do us one favor."  
  
"What would that be?" Phoebe asked them.  
  
"Make The Source's death as slow and painful as possiable." Zira said.  
  
"I'll see what I can do." Phoebe said with a slight laugh. "Thanks for your help.  
  
Zira and Axen nodded as they blinked out. Phoebe turned back and kissed Cole.  
  
"Things are winding now, Phoebe." Cole said. "Soon all of this will be over. The Source will be dead."  
  
Phoebe broke their embrace.  
  
"Yes, but like what Axen said, then what?" Phoebe asked him. "Some new evil person will just end up taking over, and in the meantime it's not like we'll be able to get back to normal lives."  
  
"What if I find a way to turn you back?" Cole asked her.  
  
Phoebe turned away from him.  
  
"I'm not sure if I want to go back." Phoebe said. "I don't want to deal with everything that comes with being good again, and that's not just the evil talking."  
  
Cole gave a slight nod.  
  
It's definitley a lot harder to be good, than it is to be bad. Cole thought. Maybe I did the wrong thing. Either way, Piper and Phoebe's lives are never going to just go back to normal, whether I turn them good again or not.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, Piper blinked back into an empty P3. She had closed it down before going to turn evil, knowing that she would no longer have the desire to run a club. The chairs were all turned over on the tables, the bar was empty, and no music played. Now, however, Piper was just trying to use the abandoned club to have some time to think by herself. This didn't last long, however, as the front door to the club opened.  
  
"Who's there?" Piper called up.  
  
Moments later, Leo walked down the stairs.  
  
"How did you get in here?" Piper asked him.  
  
"You gave me a key, remember?" Leo replied. "I figured you'd come here."  
  
"Let's start call you fucking Sherlock Homes." Piper muttered.  
  
She pulled down a chair at one of the tables and sat down, thinking.  
  
"You know, I heard that." Leo said.  
  
"I'll let you know as soon as I give a shit." Piper replied.  
  
Leo walked over and pulled down the chair opposite to Piper's, as she gave him a look that could have killed.  
  
"Do you ever get tired of cursing and being overly sarcastic?"  
  
"Not really." Piper replied with a slight grin.  
  
There were a few moments of silence, which Piper finally broke.  
  
"So why are you here?" Piper stated simply. "I told you before to stay away from me."  
  
"And you actually expected me to listen?"  
  
"Well.....no, not really." Piper admitted. "But it would have been easier if you did."  
  
"Sorry, Piper, but I'm here to stay."  
  
"That's unfortunate. You're just going to get hurt."  
  
"I'm willing to risk it for you, Piper." Leo replied. "I love you."  
  
Piper didn't reply.  
  
"Did you hear me, Piper? I said, I love you."  
  
Piper gave Leo an annoyed glare, and raised her right hand. Leo suddenly had duct tape over his mouth. Piper stood up.  
  
"I'm not in the mood for you right now."  
  
She walked off into the bathroom just as Leo pulled the duct tape off his mouth.  
  
"Piper!" Leo called back. "C'mon, I know you don't really have to use the bathroom, you're just avoiding me!"  
  
"Geez, you're a fucking genius." she yelled from the bathroom.  
  
Leo couldn't help but laugh a little as he stood up. He walked towards the two bathrooms, and entered the female one.  
  
"C'mon Piper." Leo said.  
  
Piper suddenly leaped out of one of the stalls. She tried to punch Leo, and Leo caught her fist. She tried to punch him with her other fist, and Leo caught that one as well. Just as it seemed their struggle would get more violent, Piper reached up and kissed him. But in mid-kiss, she blinked out.  
  
Leo sighed.  
  
I'm not sure if that was sincere, or if she's toying with me. Leo thought. But I don't think she's toying with me....she said she doesn't want me to get hurt, so she must still have some love for me on some level.  
  
Piper, however, quickly blinked back in, right in front of Leo.  
  
"You're coming back to the manor with me." she said. "Buisness, not pleasure."  
  
"Huh?" Leo asked her.  
  
"I have something I want to show you."  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, The Source and the Seer were making the final preperations for the final phase of their plan.  
  
"Open an entrance to the Underworld in San Fransisco." The Source said. "Don't make it too close to the Manor or else they will suspect something."  
  
"It shall be done." the Seer said.  
  
"Have Paige ready as well." The Source told her. "She is integral to my plan, she must be ready in time."  
  
"She will be ready." the Seer said.  
  
The Source nodded in approval.  
  
  
  
Back at the manor, Piper blinked in with Leo in the kitchen. She immeaditley walked over to one of the drawers, and began digging through it.  
  
"So what is it you wanted to show me?" Leo asked her.  
  
"You'll see." Piper said as she dug through the drawer.  
  
Finally, she pulled out a long and sharp knife.  
  
She can't know about it. Leo thought. How can she?  
  
Piper walked over to Leo, and with a sly smile, sliced herself in the neck.  
  
"Piper!" Leo yelled, but Piper only smiled.  
  
She pulled the knife away, and Leo watched as the blood suddenly flowed back into her neck, and the wound quickly closed itself.  
  
"I did nothing, and that wound closed itself." Piper said. "I'm invincable! Isn't this cool?"  
  
Leo sighed.  
  
"Wait a second...." Piper began to say. "Do you know something about this that I don't?"  
  
"Yes." Leo admitted. "Ancient propheceies state that if a Charmed One fully embraces darkness, as you have now, you will be invinciable and be the knight that leads evil to total domination of all of reality."  
  
"You knew this for how long?" Piper asked him.  
  
"Just since this morning, when I was stripped of my powers." Leo replied.  
  
"And this is why you wanted me to love you." Piper said. "So I had a buried heart, like Phoebe, and I was no longer invinciable, so the prophecies could not be forfilled."  
  
"No!" Leo yelled. "I really do love you! I don't care about any prophecies, I just want us to be together!"  
  
Piper smiled, a sly smile, as she waved one hand and froze Leo solid.  
  
"I'm sorry Leo." Piper told him. "But immortality and invinciablitiy is worth more to me than love. And you being around is too much of a risk. My heart cannot show up, I must be completley dark and invinciable in order to defeat The Source. And since I still feel compassion for you, it's too easy for me to give in. I can't allow myself to do that."  
  
Piper, dispite herself, laughed.  
  
"If you had just stayed away, you wouldn't have had to die." Piper said. "I'm sorry this is how it has to be, I truely am- I really meant what I said. But this is just how it has to be."  
  
Piper punched Leo in the head, shattering it, and then pushed the rest of his frozen body onto the ground and watched it shatter into a million pieces. Piper shivered.  
  
"I feel so cold." Piper said.  
  
She stood down at the remains of Leo, and she shivered again.  
  
She had gone down the darkest path of all.  
  
And now, there was no way she could ever come back.  
  
To Be Continued..... 


	6. Chapter 6

Desperate Measures Chapter VI  
  
(Author's Note: This is the final chapter of Desperate Measures! Thanks guys for your support and sorry for the LONG wait-time between Chapters 5 and 6, I had a bunch of things that needed my attention after coming back from my vacation. Anyway, here is the final chapter, and expect a sequel to Desperate Measures soon! Enjoy!)  
  
Phoebe and Cole walked into the kitchen, moments after Piper had killed Leo.  
  
"Piper....you..." Cole began to say.  
  
"I killed Leo." Piper said in a cold voice.  
  
"But why?" Cole asked her.  
  
"To forfill the prophecies." Piper replied.  
  
"What prophecies?" Phoebe asked her.  
  
"When a Charmed One completley embraces darkness, she will become invinciable, unkillable, and an eternal lifeform." Piper repiled. "That's why I can heal myself without even trying. I killed Leo in order to prevent him from bringing my heart to the surface. And you should do the same to Cole, Phoebe. Kill him, let go of your heart, and completly embrace darkness to become invinciable."  
  
"No!" Phoebe immeaditley yelled.  
  
Piper was shocked.  
  
"Phoebe.....are you not, evil?" Piper asked her. "Don't you desire this power?"  
  
"Yes." Phoebe responded. "But my love for Cole transcends the boundaries of good and evil. You should know that by now. I will not, nor will I ever, kill Cole."  
  
Piper sighed.  
  
"It's too bad, sis." Piper said. "Immortality is a wonderful thing."  
  
Piper walked past Phoebe and Cole, exiting the kitchen.  
  
"She's out of control." Cole said.  
  
"I agree with you." Phoebe said. "If we're not careful, that bitch may kill us both."  
  
Cole nodded in agreement.  
  
"Anyway....let's go out now!" Phoebe exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Cole asked her. "After all that's happened?"  
  
"Yeah." Phoebe said. "I need to get my mind off of it. C'mon, please, we're already all dressed!"  
  
"Fine." Cole said with a sigh.  
  
Phoebe made an excited smile as she grabbed Cole's right arm and blinked out with him.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, The Source and the Seer walked to a small room inside the large cave of the Underworld. Laying on a long, marble slate was Paige, dressed in a black gown and with glowing black eyes.  
  
"She is ready to be called upon." the Seer said.  
  
"Everything has gone according to plan." The Source said. "Paige's destiny, as the half-sister of Piper and Phoebe, was to ressurect the Power of Three by reuniting with her sisters. However, I saw two alternate futures, and I chose to change the path of destiny by capturing Paige and preventing her from meeting Piper and Phoebe. This set the second future into gear....and now, this future is beginning to manifest itself."  
  
"Paige has been completley possesed by darkness." the Seer said. "Her body and spirit has been infused with that of the Dark Spirit of Lightning, Larios. This Paige is completley under our command, and powerful enough to eliminate Piper and Phoebe."  
  
"Piper may think she's immortal, but she's not." The Source said with a smile. "At least, not yet. She hasn't been evil long enough yet. She cannot be killed through conventional methods....but Paige here has enough power to eliminate her."  
  
The Seer nodded in agreement.  
  
"Whether she will or not will determain the course this future takes, but whichever course it takes, it will be benefical for evil." The Source said.  
  
Again, the Seer nodded in agreement.  
  
"Open the entrance to the Underworld." The Source said. "Once it's open, they'll be able to blink here at any time, from anywhere."  
  
The Seer nodded.  
  
  
  
Phoebe and Cole were in the middle of a slow dance at a local club.  
  
"I hate slow dances." Phoebe muttered.  
  
She raised one hand, and suddenly the music changed to something faster.  
  
"Now THIS is more like it!" Phoebe said, and began dancing in front of Cole in a very suggestive nature.  
  
"Phoebe...." Cole began to say, but his attraction won out over his common sense as he watched her dance.  
  
"Enjoying yourselves?"  
  
Phoebe and Cole turned around to spot Piper.  
  
"Yes, and you would too if you hadn't shattered your husband into a million pieces." Phoebe replied.  
  
Piper shrugged, then raised her hand in the air, and swayed it towards a good-looking man dancing with a girl. The man quickly shoved the girl down and walked over to Piper, and the two began dancing.  
  
"Well, that was kinda cool, I gotta admit it." Phoebe laughed.  
  
Cole laughed with her and they got back to dancing.  
  
A few moments later, however, both Phoebe and Piper stopped.  
  
"Phoebe....do you feel that?" Piper asked her sister.  
  
"Yes...." Phoebe said. "I felt it."  
  
"Felt what?" Cole asked them, puzzeled.  
  
"The Underworld entrance is open." Piper said. "We can blink there now."  
  
"Let's go." Phoebe said.  
  
"Wait!" Cole stated. "Are you sure you're ready? No telling what The Source has waiting for you."  
  
"Cole....aren't you forgetting something?" Piper asked him. "I'm unkillable! Now c'mon, let's get down there and vanquish his sorry ass!"  
  
Phoebe snorted at the Cole reference, before grabbing onto Cole's arm.  
  
"You're bringing him with you?" Piper said questionably. "He's just a human."  
  
"I stand by Phoebe, always." Cole said. "I'm coming."  
  
"Whatever." Piper said with a roll of her eyes.  
  
Piper and Phoebe both blinked out, Cole going along with Phoebe.  
  
  
  
The three appeared in the large, cavenerous throne room of the Underworld. Seated on a platform well above them was The Source and the Seer.  
  
"Glad to see you've arrived safely." The Source said.  
  
"You shouldn't be." Phoebe spat.  
  
"We've come to take revenge for our sister's death." Piper said. "So we're going to be vanquishing you now."  
  
"Confident, are we?" The Source asked them with an evil grin. "Well, don't count me out just yet. I still have Paige."  
  
"Who's Paige?" Cole asked him questionably.  
  
"Their half-sister." The Source said with an evil smile. "Well, at least she was before I merged her with Larios, the Dark Spirit of Lightning."  
  
Cole gulped.  
  
"He's powerful." Cole said.  
  
"What do you mean our half-sister?" Piper called up to him.  
  
"A product of your mother's love affair with a Whitelighter." the Seer replied.  
  
"She was supposed to reunite with you at Prue's funeral, and bring back the Power of Three." The Source said. "Unfortunatley for you, I saw this future and decided it did not meet my liking. So I kidnapped Paige and alterted it. Now, she will be the one who eliminates both of you."  
  
Piper laguhed.  
  
"I'm immortal, you know that." Piper told him. "Paige won't have a chance against me."  
  
"You're not immortal just yet." The Source replied. "That takes a while to fully evolve into true immortality, my dear girl. You may be unkillable by conventional methods, but Paige is still very much capable of killing you. Now, Seer, summon her."  
  
"Paige! Awaken, for I summen thee to eliminate the enemies of The Source!" the Seer yelled.  
  
Two black lightning bolts came from the roof of the cave, and in their wake, Paige manifested herself.  
  
"Maybe we can talk this over with her." Phoebe said. "If she's really our half-sister, maybe we can still reach her."  
  
"No, you can't." Cole told her. "She's no longer your half-sister, she's been completley taken over by Larios' spirit. She is just a body for Larios to manifest itself inside of."  
  
"Then we kill her." Piper said simply.  
  
She waved one hand and froze Paige solid in a block of ice. Before they could do anything else to her, however, Paige's body erupted with elecrticity from all over, shattering the glass and sending Piper, Phoebe, and Cole flying back into the nearest wall.  
  
"It isn't going to be that easy, my dear Charmed Ones." The Source said.  
  
Piper growled, and stood.  
  
"The two of you back off." Piper said. "The bitch is mine."  
  
"Piper, you need my...." Phoebe began to say.  
  
"Shut the fuck up." Piper said angrily. "Listen to me. You haven't completley embraced darkness, and he's a fucking human. I'm the strongest out of the three of us, immortal or not. So listen to me and back up. I have a plan."  
  
Piper walked back in front of Paige, who growled at her.  
  
"A regular freezing may not work, but a more powerful, concentrated freeze beam will." Piper said.  
  
She began forming the icy energy in her hands, and fired it towards Paige. Paige responded by letting loose with a similar beam of electricity, and the two beams collided, pushing aganist each other.  
  
"They're both very powerful." the Seer commented. "I'm not sure if one of them can defeat the other."  
  
Suddenly, a fireball was flung into Paige. It didn't do much damage, but took away from her concentration and her electric beam lost its power. Piper's ice beam hit Paige, and frooze her solid.  
  
"Thanks for your help." Piper said to Phoebe, who ran to her side. "Now, take care of her before she breaks out!"  
  
"Piper....I didn't throw that fireball." Phoebe said. "I followed your instructions and didn't interfere."  
  
"Then.....there's only one other person who could have done it." Piper said, and looked up at The Source.  
  
Phoebe walked over to Paige and with a Roundhouse Kick, shattered her body into a million pieces. The pieces glowed with dark energy and reformed into Paige's body, only the electric spirit of Larios left her and slowly withered away into nothing. Paige floated there, unconcious, before she dissapered.  
  
"Paige will be returned to her normal life with no memory of these events." the Seer said.  
  
"Not caring." Piper replied.  
  
Piper blinked in right in front of the Seer and The Source.  
  
"You die now." Piper told them.  
  
"Wait." The Source said. "Some form of gratitude is neccesary, is it not? I mean, I did help you defeat your possesed sister."  
  
"You're the one who had her possesed in the first place." Piper said. "And I don't give a shit about Paige anyway. I care about Prue, who died because of you. That's what this has all been about, revenge!"  
  
"And then what, Piper?" The Source asked her. "There's no way to reverse this now. So what do you do with your murderous desires? Do you go back to that puny little Earth and pretend they're not there? What if you lose it and snap, Piper? Is that any life to live, surpessing the true evil, your true self, all the time?"  
  
"No." Piper admitted. "So when I kill you....I'll take your place! I'll rule the Underworld as the Queen of Evil!"  
  
"Not likely." The Source said with a snorting sound. "You're not going to unite all of these factions simply by killing me. I can't even do that, and you will, a Charmed One? Most of the people down here still hate you and your sister, evil or not. You'd end up dead first."  
  
"So....what exactly are you proposing?" Piper asked him.  
  
"An alliance of convience." The Source said. "You and Phoebe become my main knights of evil. This will please the Warlock factions such as the Andricans, that I'm relying on two powerful Warlocks instead of Demons to do my main work. That will be one step closer towards uniting the factions. And then, maybe one day, you will be able to furfill the prophecies, and truely become the leaders of darkness."  
  
"Interesting." Piper said.  
  
Below, Phoebe and Cole have been listening in.  
  
"Phoebe...." Cole began to say. "You're not considering this, are you?"  
  
Phoebe turned away from him.  
  
"I want to do this, Cole." Phoebe told him. "I want to feed my dark desires rather than surpressing them. But only with the condition that you are allowed to stay by my side."  
  
Cole turned Phoebe around and kissed her deeply.  
  
"I'm not going to stop you." Cole told her. "And I'll always be on your side, no matter what. Go do what you have to do."  
  
Phoebe nodded and blinked up onto the platform.  
  
"I'll do it." Phoebe told them. "On one condition...."  
  
"Yes, you can keep your little boyfriend." The Source said with a decent amount of frusturation in his voice.  
  
"You have my loyality and service as well." Piper told him.  
  
"Good." The Source said. "Now is a new dawning.....a new dawning for evil!"  
  
The Source laughed evilly.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
Piper and Phoebe each blinked out.  
  
"Can we trust them?" the Seer asked him.  
  
"Of course not." The Source replied. "But, we have no other choice. They are neccesary, as the prophecies have foretold."  
  
The Seer nodded.  
  
  
  
The End (For Now) 


End file.
